Summer of Secrets
by SunnySkies4Life
Summary: Lily wants to go to Camp Rock. Her parents forbid it. She goes anyway with the help of a certain Nate. But that isn't the only secret she's keeping. Romance blossoms. But how long before they find out? Coauthor: Alyssa4Music4Life
1. Meeting Nate and Renewed Hope

Lily's POV

Lily's POV

"Can I PLEEEEASE go to Camp Rock?" I begged my parents. My mom sighed, and I knew the answer before she said it.

"Lily, I just don't think we can afford it right now."

"Well, what if I could get a scholarship?" I asked.

"I don't think Camp Rock has any scholarships."

"But just say they did," I pressed on.

"Lily, I know you like your music. But face it, you probably aren't going to become famous. Why don't you do something useful, like getting a job. You'd be able to afford a car in a few years, when you can drive."

"Mom, I don't want to get a job! I want to go to Camp Rock!"

"Lily, you're not going!" I stormed outside, slamming the door behind me. I ran to the park, and sat on the swings, one arm draped loosely around the chain, my feet dragging in the dirt.

"Hey." I looked up, wiping away the tears that were dripping down my face.

"Hi." I said, looking closer at the boy. He had curly brown hair and hazel eyes filled with concern.

"You seem upset." I He took a seat on the swing next to me, draping his arm on the chain the way I was.

"Just a little bit." He half smiled.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I thought a moment.

"Maybe. Maybe not." He laughed.

"Oh, I'm Nate."

"I'm Lily."

"So, do you want to tell me the reason you're sitting on a playground crying at…"he checked his watch. "…7:30 at night?"

"It's…my parents. Again," I added under my breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Okay…care to elaborate?" I sighed.

"I haven't had very, um, 'exciting' summers. Ever."

"You mean, uneventful?" He wanted to know.

"No, unexciting. I mean, exciting in a bad way." I pointed to the scar on my forehead.

"Whoa, Harry Potter!!"

"No, ceiling fan. Long story." He nodded and I went on.

"So, I was thinking this summer, I wanted to do something different. I wanted to go to…Camp Rock." He smiled.

"You've heard of it?" I asked. He nodded. "Yeah! I used to go there!"

"So, I asked my parents today if I could go. First thing I got was the whole 'we can't afford it' thing."

"So do you think it was an excuse?"

"No, we really can't afford it. But I read online that Camp Rock was going to start giving out scholarships and financial aid this year."

"True."

"So I asked my parents-hypothetically-if they'd let me go if I could get a scholarship or something."

"So what's the problem?" Nate didn't seem to get it.

"My mom went on her usual tirade about how she knew I loved my music but I was probably never going to get anywhere with it, and I should do something useful with my life. Now, she says this normally about 3 times a week. But, I don't know, it just hurt especially bad today. Especially, when she told me to get a job and that I couldn't go. Now I'm here. The end." I finished. Nate and I were both silent for a long time.

"Wow. Very interesting. Love your opinion," I said sarcastically. Nate just let out a short laugh, and then turned to face me.

"So your mom crushes all your dreams. Don't listen to her. Since she told you it won't happen, doesn't that make you want it harder?" I thought for a moment, and then the realization dawned on me.

"Yeah, it does. Thanks, Nate!! So you're saying I should apply for financial aid or a scholarship, and not tell my mom? And then maybe go to Camp Rock and still not tell her?"

"Um, well…" Nate seemed kind of shocked, but I rushed on.

"Thanks! It seems like it'll work!" I said brightly.

"But-I wasn't suggesting…." His voice trailed off.

"So you'll help me?"


	2. I'm Going To Camp Rock!

Preview:

Preview:

"_So your mom crushes all your dreams. Don't listen to her. Since she told you it won't happen, doesn't that make you want it harder. I thought for a moment, and then the realization dawned on me. _

_"Yeah, it does. Thanks, Nate!! So you're saying I should apply for financial aid or a scholarship, and not tell my mom? And then maybe go to Camp Rock and still not tell her?"_

_"Um, well…" Nate seemed kind of shocked, but I rushed on._

_"Thanks! It seems like it'll work!" I said brightly. _

_"But-I wasn't suggesting…." His voice trailed off. _

_"So you'll help me?" _

"What?" I asked, once I saw that Nate seemed a little uncomfortable.

"Listen, Lily, I wasn't suggesting that. It's just…don't you think your mom will notice if you run off for 8 weeks?"

"Nate, please listen to me," I pleaded. "I don't know why, but this feels like something I HAVE to do. I have to do this, I just know it. I don't know why, but there's this feeling that I have, and my feelings are usually right." Nate looked skeptical. I sighed.

"Okay, my feelings are sometimes right, but I know this time is different! Will you please, please help me?" He considered it.

"2 conditions. 1: If your parents find out, I had nothing to do with it." I nodded.

"Condition 2?"

"Condition 2: I get to come with you." A smile spread across his face.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you times a million!!" He laughed.

"Okay, now I'm serious." I said. "How are we going to get to Camp Rock for 8 weeks without my parents knowing? And what about yours?" I added.

"Me? Don't worry. My parents will probably be glad, and I'll probably get my two other brothers to come with me."

"What, are you saying your parents want to get rid of you?" I teased.

"In a manner of speaking, yes." I guess I looked confused, because he went on to explain. "Well, I guess you could say my brothers and I play a lot of music, so it's usually pretty loud in my house. I think my parents will be happy to have some peace."

"I guess I don't play my music loud enough, because my parents want me right where they can see me. A little overprotective, I guess you could say."

"Well, back to the task at hand. Your parents are obviously going to know that you're away."

"Yeah."

"But we can't have them knowing where you are."

"Yeah." So far, this was seeming impossible.

"But who says they have to think you're at Camp Rock?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we tell them you're going to stay with…your Uncle Sam because he needs some help on the farm this summer."

"But I don't have an Uncle Sam on a farm. I have an Uncle Charlie who lives on a farm. My Uncle Sam lives in Seattle."

"Okay, you're staying with your Uncle Charlie."

"But if they call and I'm not there…" So far, I could see big holes in Nate's brilliant plan.

"You have a cell phone?"

"Yeah." I pulled out my blue sidekick to show him.

"So, at first you go down there-as far as your parents know-all excited. But then, oh no! Uncle Charlie's phone is broken! So your parents can only call you on your cell phone!"

"Yeah!!"

"Can you say anything but yeah?"

"Yeah!!"

"Lily…"

"Okay, fine, I'll stop," I said giggling. "But what if my Uncle Charlie calls my parents and says I'm not there?"

"We have to get him to agree to the plan," Nate explained.

"I'm sure he will. He's the one who taught me how to play the guitar when I was little."

"Great! Call him!" I punched the numbers in my phone, and finally, Uncle Charlie picked up.

"Lily!" Nate whispered. "Speaker!"

"Oh right!" I hurriedly pressed the button, and Uncle Charlie's voice filled the speaker.

"Hello?"

"Hi Uncle Charlie! It's Lily!"  
"Hi Lily! What's up with you?"

"Well, my friend Nate and I had a really big favor to ask you, and if you say no, I'll understand because it's really big and-"

"Lily! Just ask!"

"Well, I want to go to Camp Rock really badly."

"Great!"

"Well, my parents said no, so I was wondering if you could…you could tell them I was staying with you while I went. And we can tell them the phone's broken so they'll call me on my cell…"

The other end was silent, and I looked at Nate worriedly.

"Just hold on," he mouthed.

"You know what Lily, I'm going to go out on a limb here. Okay, I'm in. I'll call your parents and ask them to let you come down."

"Oh, be sure to tell them I'd be working for the summer!"

"Will do, call you later!"

"Bye, Uncle Charlie!"

I looked at Nate, grinning widely.

"I'm going to Camp Rock!!"


	3. Oh My Gosh

Recap:

Recap:

_"You know what Lily, I'm going to go out on a limb here. Okay, I'm in. I'll call your parents and ask them to let you come down."_

_"Oh, be sure to tell them I'd be working for the summer!" _

_"Will do, call you later!" _

_"Bye, Uncle Charlie!" I looked at Nate, grinning widely._

_"I'm going to Camp Rock!!"_

"I can't believe it! I'm going to Camp Rock! Thanks, Nate," I said, really looking at him for the first time. He did look familiar, but I was too happy to really think about it.

"Give me your phone." I held out my phone, and he gave me his.

"Put your number in," he told me. I punched in my name and number, and handed it back.

"Done."

"Great. I'll call you soon, definitely the day before we leave."

"When do we leave?" I asked.

"Um, next month." But then I remembered.

"Wait, Nate, how am I going to get the money?"

"Oh, I may have forgotten to mention…I'm paying."

"What!" I exclaimed. "No way! It's too much."

"Look, I can do it. Plus, I know the director of the camp. It'll all work out."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Positive."

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you times a billion!!"

"Ooh, times a million, times a billion, what do I have to do to get to a trillion?" I laughed, for real this time.

"I'll let you know when it happens."

"Great." Just then, his phone rang.

"Hello? Yes Jason, I'm coming back." A sigh. "No, I didn't see any sparrows today. I don't know if there's any bird nests around here! Bye!" I stifled a laugh.

"I'm pretty sure the sparrows are around here somewhere."

"My brother, Jason. Bird watcher. Bird obsessed. Anything to do with birds, and he loves it."

"Haha. I'll keep a watch out for those sparrows."

"Very funny. I've got to go. But call later, tell me how it goes when your Uncle Charlie calls!"

"'Kay, I will. Bye, Nate!" He waved and walked away. Only as I walked home did I realize what had been sitting there beneath my nose.

"Nate? Jason? Oh. My. Gosh. I'm going to Camp Rock with Nate from Connect 3!!"


	4. Uncle Charlie

Recap:

Recap:

"_Hello? Yes Jason, I'm coming back." A sigh. "No, I didn't see any sparrows today. I don't know if there's any bird nests around here! Bye!" I stifled a laugh._

_"I'm pretty sure the sparrows are around here somewhere." _

_"My brother, Jason. Bird watcher. Bird obsessed. Anything to do with birds, and he loves it." _

_"Haha. I'll keep a watch out for those sparrows."_

_"Very funny. I've got to go. But call later, tell me how it goes when your Uncle Charlie calls!"_

_"'Kay, I will. Bye, Nate!" He waved and walked away. Only as I walked home did I realize what had been sitting there beneath my nose._

_"Nate? Jason? Oh. My. Gosh. I'm going to Camp Rock with Nate from Connect 3!!"_

**ONE MONTH LATER**

I picked up the phone as soon as it rang.

"Hello?"

"Lily?"

"Hi, Nate. Everything still set for tomorrow?"

"Yup. What about you?"  
"I'm getting on a train to head for Uncle Charlie's today. He's going to bring me up to camp tomorrow."

"Excellent. I'll be waiting by the big archway."

"Cool. See you tomorrow."

"Later, Lily."

"See ya, Nate." We hung up and I threw one last shirt in my bag. I hadn't told Nate I knew who he was yet, and I planned on telling him tomorrow. I was just worried what he would say. I wasn't mad he hadn't told me; I didn't blame him. I would've done the same thing.

"Lily!" My mom called up the stairs. "It's time to go!"

"'Kay, be right down!" I turned to my "sister", Liz, who was reading a book in her bed.

"See you when you get back, Lily," she said. I gave her a hug.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked.

"They're all downstairs."

I dragged my bag down the stairs behind me.

"I'm ready to go!" I said goodbye to each of my "brothers and sisters" in turn. Then I turned to my mom.

"Let's go,"

"I'll be fine." I was getting ready to get on the train, and my mom was a little worried, of course.

"I know," she said. "Don't forget to call when you get there!"

"I won't. Bye!" I said with a hug, as I climbed onto the train.

The train ride was kind of long, and I slept most of the way. But when the train stopped, I awoke almost instantly. Finally, I was here! Only one more day until I could see Nate!  
"Uncle Charlie!" I called as I ran off the train. My uncle hadn't changed a bit. He still had the same brown beard as last time I had seen him (though now perhaps a little longer).

"Lily! Ready to go to Camp Rock?"

"Ready as I'll ever be! Thanks so much for doing this!"

"I've been trying to get you to Camp Rock for years! Ever since…you know…"

"Yeah, I remember. Even more than I want to. But the guitar really helped."

"You were only, what, 6 years old?"

"Yeah. The guitar seemed so big then." I smiled at the memory of my 6 year old self holding Charlie's big guitar as he patiently showed me how to play it.

In fact, for the rest of the night, we discussed old memories, how things were going for my family, and most of all, Nate. Uncle Charlie was the only person I had told about him. I trusted him most. I mean, I loved my family, but Uncle Charlie was the first one I was with when "it" happened.

But finally, it was time to go to bed. As I lay on the couch that night, I reminisced my conversation with Nate, over and over again before I finally fell asleep late at night.

**Ooh, what happened to Lily? You'll find out later on!! **

**Review, please!! **


	5. Nate and The Lake

Recap:

Recap:

"_I've been trying to get you to Camp Rock for years! Ever since…you know…"_

"_Yeah, I remember. Even more than I want to. But the guitar really helped."_

"_You were only, what, 6 years old?"_

"_Yeah. The guitar seemed so big then." I smiled at the memory of my 6 year old self holding Charlie's big guitar as he patiently showed me how to play it._

_In fact, for the rest of the night, we discussed old memories, how things were going for my family, and most of all, Nate. Uncle Charlie was the only person I had told about him. I trusted him most. I mean, I loved my family, but Uncle Charlie was the first one I was with when "it" happened._

_But finally, it was time to go to bed. As I lay on the couch that night, I reminisced my conversation with Nate, over and over again before I finally fell asleep late at night._

I woke up early the next morning, exhausted until I remembered what day it was. Camp Rock Time!!

"Lily! Are you awake yet?" Uncle Charlie called up the stairs.

"Yeah, I'll be right down!" I put on my Save The Whales shirt and some denim shorts before putting my hair in a high ponytail. I rushed down the stairs into the kitchen, where Uncle Charlie had waffles ready. We ate, and then rushed out to the car. It was only 8 AM, but Camp Rock was a few hours away. I had my iPod to entertain me, and I fell asleep as we drove out of the driveway.

"Lily! Lily!" Uncle Charlie shook me awake.

"Huh?" I asked groggily.

"We're at Camp Rock." I was awake instantly.

"Oh, I can't believe I'm finally here!" I squealed.

"Well, believe it, because you are!!"

"Thank you so much, Uncle Charlie!"

"Have fun!" I started to walk away.

"Oh, and Lily?" I turned around.

"Call your mother when you get settled in."

"Will do! See you later!" Uncle Charlie drove away, and I stared at the scene in front of me.

There were trees all over the place, and a large stage in the middle of the camp. And right in front of me was…the archway. I ran over, waiting at a pole for Nate.

But the only person there was a taller boy. He had straight, dark hair, and was carrying a large suitcase. I ran up to him.

"Do you know where I can find Nate?" I asked. He spun around turning to face me.

"Look, I know everyone wants to find him," he snapped. "He's famous, but guess what? You can just go chase him like all of those other girls over there." He pointed to a cluster of screaming girls running after…Nate! I took off, leaving the boy behind.

It was a good thing I was a fast runner, because it was hard keeping up with those girls.

"Nate!" I shouted. "Nate!" He didn't turn around, or maybe he just didn't hear me. I ran faster, passing girls, until I could reach out and tap his shoulder. He only ran faster.

"I'm in good shape, I can keep up with you!" I put on an extra burst of speed, and stopped in front of him.

"Nate…" I panted.

"Lily?! Oh my gosh, I didn't notice you following me!" I waved it off, still panting, and slid down a tree.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Bag…" I panted. He handed me the bag I had dropped, and I rifled through it until I found my inhaler. Nate waited by until I caught my breath and could talk.

"Sorry," I apologized. "I never ran that much."

"You have asthma?"

"Since I was 7. I've never run that much, that fast!"

"I thought it was those crazy girls." He said, glancing behind him. The girls were coming back. "Hop on."

"What?"

"Get on my back!" he shouted. I didn't have to be told twice. I jumped on and he ran off, the girls chasing us once more.

"Am I too heavy?" I yelled over the shouts of the girls behind us.

"No! Do you mind getting a little wet?" he asked.

"What?" We neared the lake.

"Drop your bag!" I dropped the bag behind a tree, and Nate jumped into the lake, me still on his back.

**Haha, they're all wet! And I bet the girls won't be too happy!!  
Review please!**


	6. Hi Dee!

Recap:

Recap:

_"I thought it was those crazy girls." He said, glancing behind him. The girls were coming back. "Hop on."_

_"What?" _

_"Get on my back!" he shouted. I didn't have to be told twice. I jumped on and he ran off, the girls chasing us once more._

_"Am I too heavy?" I yelled over the shouts of the girls behind us._

_"No! Do you mind getting a little wet?" he asked._

_"What?" We neared the lake._

_"Drop your bag!" I dropped the bag behind a tree, and Nate jumped into the lake, me still on his back. _

I swam to the surface, spitting out water, Nate coming up behind me.

"Okay, that was fun," I said, climbing onto the dock.

"Sorry. I had to get away," Nate climbed up beside me.

"Should we go?" I asked.

"Let's go make a grand entrance, shall we?" I laughed.

"Let's go." We ran all the way back to camp, dripping wet. Everyone else was already there, and all heads were turned towards Nate and me.

"Sorry Uncle Brown!" Nate said, running over to his uncle, me following.

"Nate, where were you? And why are you so…wet?"

"Crazy girls."

"And is this…a crazy girl?" Brown asked, gesturing to me.

"No, Uncle, this is Lily."

"Hello, Lily. Now why don't you 2 go join everyone else so we can get started?" Nate smiled.

"Done." He led me into the crowd, where we found whom I guess were his two brothers. I gasped. One of his brothers was the boy who yelled at me earlier!  
"You!" we both shouted.

"You two have met?" Nate asked, amused.

"Kind of!" we said again. Then we just glared at each other.

"Do I want to know?" Nate asked.

"She," he spit. "went looking for you, and I told her to go chase you like all the other crazy girls."

"Shane!" Nate said angrily. "This is Lily!" Shane's expression changed.

"Oh. Sorry."

"And this…is Jason." His other brother came over.

"Hi, I'm Jason, and my favorite bird is-"

"Jason!" Nate said, exasperated.

"Hi, Jason," I said, stifling a laugh.

"Okay, we're going to go now." Nate dragged me away, giving me an apologetic smile.

"What? Your brothers are cool," I said, laughing.

By now, a short, red haired lady was on the stage.

"Hey everyone!"

"Hi Dee," everyone sang, and I started liking Camp Rock even more.

"Now you should've all picked your cabins, or if you haven't, get going! Classes start tomorrow, breakfast is at 7:30!" The crowd dispersed, and Nate and I were left alone.

"So, you going to find a cabin?" Nate asked me.

"Sure." I shrugged. "What about you?"

"Counselor cabin. I'm special," Nate said teasingly.

"Sure you are," I said sarcastically as I began to walk away.

"Wait-what?" I heard Nate's panicked voice behind me, and I burst out laughing.


	7. Mitchie, Emily, and the Lake Again

I wandered around the Camp with my bags, dragging them behind me. Most of the cabins already had people standing on the porches, and I wasn't about to barge in.

"Hi!" There was a girl to my right.

"Oh, hey,"

"Looking for a cabin?" She asked. I nodded.

"New camper?"

I sighed. "Is it that obvious?"

She laughed. "Yes."

We walked together, looking for a cabin. "Oh!" she suddenly cried out, and ran towards the left. I struggled to keep up with her, and when we reached the cabin, she plunked her stuff down on the porch. "Yes! We got the good cabin!"

"Why is this the good cabin?" I wanted to know.

"Because the counselor's cabins are just down there." She pointed, and I saw a few bigger cabins down that way.

"Okay, this _is _the good cabin!" I shrieked.

"I know! My boyfriend is one of the counselors" She said. "I'm Mitchie, by the way."

"Lily."

"Should we go inside? You know bring our stuff in?" She asked. We picked up our stuff and lugged it inside. The suitcases clunked on the hard pine floor.

"So, shall we go out and 'explore the unknown'?" Mitchie asked.

I laughed again. "Sure, why not? Maybe we'll meet your mysterious boyfriend," I teased. She pushed me, and we ran outside laughing.

In fact, we were so busy that we didn't notice a girl coming up behind us. We collided just as we noticed each other.

I heard clapping behind us. I turned my head and saw Nate clapping sarcastically.

"Very nice," he said, laughing at the sight of Mitchie, the girl, and I tangled on the ground.

"Yoouu!" I shouted, running towards him. He arranged his face into one of terror, and I smacked his head of curly hair.

"Ow, what was that for?"

I smirked. "You know."

"Maybe I do. Maybe I don't." He stuck his lip out and faked a pout.

"You two know each other?" Mitchie was pointing between Nate and I.

"Yes, unfortunately," I mocked. Nate gave a quick glance to the lake, and threw me over his shoulder.

"Nate! You put me down right now!!" I screamed, beating his back with my fists. He threw me into the lake and turned away.

I resurfaced, and put on a sweet smile. "Could you at least help me up?"

"Oh, no, I know that trick!" He backed away.

"Yeah, but I think…my foot is stuck on something!" I kicked my foot under the water a few times to make it more convincing.

"Oh, sorry! Here, grab my hand." He stuck his hand out, and with one swift pull, I yanked him in the water.

"Ha!" I laughed, and saw Mitchie and the other girl laughing on the shore.

Nate came up, glaring at me.

"I thought you knew that trick!" I laughed. Nate spit water into my face. I splashed him. We continued going like this, until I noticed Mitchie and the girl were still laughing. I nodded at Nate, and he knew what I meant.

We went on the shore, and he grabbed Mitchie and threw her in. I pulled the other girl in after her, and then Nate and I jumped in again.

We all came up laughing, and swam in the lake until the sun began to set. Then we climbed out and sat on the dock.

"Nate, what's your obsession with the lake?" I asked. "That's twice today. Two times. Count 'em." I wiggled two fingers in front of his face.

He shrugged. "It's wet and an easy way to get back at someone. Especially you. Sorry." He gave me a look that said "yeah right", and I pushed him again. He fell into the water, and Mitchie, the other girl (whose name was Emily), and I howled with laughter. He climbed out and shook his shaggy curls, spraying us with water. We shrieked and ran back to our cabins, hearing Nate laughing at us from behind.


	8. Sure, Why Not?

I grabbed my socks, being sure not to wake up Emily or Mitchie. I put on my sneakers and slipped quietly out the door.

I ran through the soft ground, the wind blowing through my shoulder length hair. I hadn't run for a month, and it felt so good to do it again.

I stopped by the lake, sitting on the dock. I took off my sneakers and peeled off my sweaty socks. I dangled my feet in the cool water, letting the small ripples wash over my toes.

Before long, I realized I had been joined by someone else. I turned my head and saw Nate sitting next to me.

"What are you doing down here?" I asked him.

"I went to your cabin to find you. Emily and Mitchie said you were gone. I figured you'd be down here."

"Why here?" I asked.

"Because of our lovely history," he teased.

"Our history?" I repeated sarcastically.

"All of it," he said.

We sat together for another half an hour, watching the sun finish coming up. Only then did Nate look at his watch and realize we were going to be late for breakfast.

"Hey guys," I said, sliding my plate onto the table.

"Hey Lily. Where were you?" Emily asked, helping herself to some toast.

"Out running by the lake. Why?"

"We just woke up and you were gone," Mitchie said. "We didn't know where you were."

"Don't worry," I laughed. "I wasn't kidnapped."

"Hey." A voice came from behind us.

Mitchie whipped around. "Hey!" she squealed.

I jumped up. "You?"

"You?" he shouted.

Jason popped up. "Me!"

"No, dude," Nate shook his head. "I wouldn't even get into this."

"So you two know each other?"

"No," we spat together.

"You guys are very good at that. Did you rehearse it?" Nate asked, pointing between us.

"NO!" We shouted.

"Wait-you," Shane pointed at Mitchie. "Know her," he pointed at me. "How?"

"Shane, Lily and I share a cabin," she told him. Emily cleared her throat. "Oh yeah, Emily too," Mitchie added.

"Thanks," Emily added sarcastically.

"How do you know him?" I asked Mitchie, my tone dripping with disgust.

"Lily, he's my…"

"I'm her boyfriend," Shane finished, glaring at me still.

"You're going out with…that?" I asked, shocked.

"Lily! I happen to like 'that' very much!"

"Hey!" Shane exclaimed, offended. "Since when am I a 'that'?"

"Oh, sorry," Mitchie kissed him.

"Come on!" I pretended to shield my eyes, backing away into-

"Oops, sorry Nate."

He shook his head. "This is madness. Let's go." We left the Dining Hall, running outside laughing.

"Ahh, I love drama," I said, falling back on the grass.

"Ahh, I don't." Nate fell back with me. We laughed for a while, and then were silent.

"How long have they been together?" I asked finally.

"Since last summer. Gets annoying, actually," he admitted.

"Good to know," I said, laughing again.

"Why are you laughing?" he asked.

"I'm just in a great mood, I guess."

"Wanna make it even better?" Nate grinned.

"Sure, why not?"

He sat up. "Will you go out with me?"

"But you barely know me."

"What are you talking about? I know you very well!" he protested.

I giggled. "Nate, you've only known me for about a month, and pretty much only over email."

Suddenly, his face was close to mine…I could count his freckles if I wanted to…

Our lips met, and although I felt I should pull away, I couldn't. I guess I really did like Nate, I just didn't know it before.

We pulled apart.

"Will you go out with me?" He repeated again.

I shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"Is this going to become a regular response from you?" He asked, laughing.

I shrugged again. "Sure, why not?" He laughed, and then we kissed again.

"Shouldn't we go find Mitchie and Shane?" Nate asked. "And Emily too, I suppose," he added.

"Why?" I whined. "I really don't want to walk in on them kissing. Major ew."

"What are you talking about? You just kissed me!"

"No, Nate," I corrected him. "You kissed me."

"You didn't pull away," he pointed out.

"Nate, I said you kissed me, I didn't say I didn't like it!" I exclaimed.

He sighed. "Come on, girlfriend. Let's go." He pulled me to my feet.

"Alright, let's go."

We walked back through camp, keeping our eyes out for Shane, Mitchie, and Emily.

"Hey, Nate, since I'm your girlfriend now, does that mean I'm going to be the most hated girl in America?" I asked.

He thought for a moment. "Yeah, probably."

I smacked his shoulder. "Thanks, good to know."

"I mean, no way," he said sarcastically. "Nobody is going to mind that you're dating the cutest boy in America."

"Geez, cocky much?" I teased.

"Haha."

"You know what, Nate? I'm going to do the mature thing right now." I stuck out my tongue and crossed my eyes and blew a big raspberry in his face.

"Right, very mature," he said, wiping spit off his nose.

"Maybe they're in my cabin," I suggested.

"Who?" Nate asked, confused.

"Shane and Mitchie! Try to keep up here, Popstar," I dragged him over to Mitchie, Emily, and my cabin. The door was half open, and we heard voices inside.

"Bingo," I whispered. Nate and I pushed open the door and tiptoed inside.

Mitchie and Shane were supposedly looking for something, because stuff was strewn all over the place. But Shane and Mitchie sat on MY bed kissing.

"Gross! Get a room!" I shouted, backing up.

"Done, Lily." Mitchie smiled sweetly.

"I didn't mean this one! Can't you two go swap spit in Shane's cabin?" I asked, exasperated.

"No." Shane said, and then kissed Mitchie again.

"There's only one thing left to do." Nate said.

"Run, and take immediate therapy to erase this image from my brain." I advised

"No, Lily. Join the party." Nate pulled me closer, and kissed me, apparently hoping that Mitchie and Shane would stop kissing out of surprise and shock or something. It worked. A little too well, actually.

Shane fell off the end of the bed, and Mitchie came after.

"W-w-ait? Are you guys like…together now?" Mitchie asked, pointing between me and Nate.

"Uh, yeah, kinda," Nate said.

"Whoa." Was all Shane could say.


	9. Trapped!

"Dude!" Shane slapped his brother's back. "Of all the girls you could've chosen, you picked _Lily_?" He said my name like it was some sort of lethal disease.

"Mitchie!" I exclaimed. "Of all the guys you could've chosen, you picked _Shane_?" I said his name the same way he had said mine.

"Stop!" Nate and Mitchie shouted at the same time.

"Okay, you two are just going to have to learn how to get along." Mitchie said sternly.

"So until you can get along"—

"Or at least pretend to," Mitchie cut in with a glance at Nate. He nodded.

"You're not leaving this cabin!" Nate said firmly.

"What?" I shrieked. "But-what about"—

Shane started in on his brother."I have classes to teach, Nate!"

"And I have classes to go to!" I added in.

But Nate just smiled and gave a little wave, and slammed the door, going after Mitchie. I heard the lock click, and Shane and I were alone.

"Well this sucks," I said angrily, crossing my arms.

"Duh!" Shane threw his words like darts.

"Shane, I would rather be stuck here with anyone but you," I snapped.

"And you don't think I feel the same way?" he said through gritted teeth. "Because believe me, Lily, I do!" And we were silent once more.

"Well, whether we hate each other or not"—I began.

"Which we do!" Shane interrupted.

"Do you mind?" I said acidly. "Anyway," I went on. "Whether we hate each other or not, we still need to get out of here by noon, because I have a class at one. So are you going to continue being an arrogant popstar, or are you going to help me get out of here?"

"It's rockstar," he growled, but he began going through the cabin, looking for a way out.

"The door's locked, Einstein, I heard it," I said as Shane began to rattle the doorknob.

"I know that, thank you very much."

"So why bother rattling the doorknob?" I shot back. "You're just going to give us a headache."

"I don't see you doing anything better," Shane spat, narrowing his eyes, finally turning away from the door.

"It's called thinking. You should try it sometime," I said sarcastically.

I looked toward the windows. I didn't see a latch there, but there probably was one somewhere.

I ran my fingers along the edges of the window. Nothing. The window was set in the wall as firmly as my eyes were set in their sockets (although it would be less uncomfortable to get the window out than it would be to get my eye out.

"Don't you have a cell phone or something?" I asked Shane.

"Yeah, but there's no service. I already tried that." He said bitterly.

I swept my eyes around the cabin, still looking for a way out. My eyes rested on the door once again. The idea hit me like…well, like my tennis racket had in gym class when I accidentally let go of it (long story, not pleasant. I don't tell it often for that reason.).

"Shane?" I began hesitantly.

"What?" he snapped impatiently.

"Does the door have a lock on the inside?"

"What?" he asked. "I'm over here! How would I know?"

I sighed angrily and made my way over to the door. Sure enough, there was a little keyhole in the doorknob. "But Nate has the key," I muttered to myself. Well, there were certainly other ways of unlocking a door.

"Shane? Do you have a hairpin or anything?"

"Do I look like I carry around hairpins in my pockets?" he snapped angrily.

Then I remembered I had one in my duffel under my bed. I half-ran over and dug it out, rummaging through all the pockets.

"Lily! You can put on your eyeliner later!" he snarled.

"I don't even wear eyeliner that much, you idiot. _I _happen to have a hairpin, even if you don't."

"So what?"

I sighed. This boy was even more clueless than I had thought him to be.

"So," I pressed on, more slowly. "I'm going to pick the lock."

Shane snorted. "I doubt you can pick a lock."

I smirked. "Wanna bet?"

"Sure, because I know you're gonna lose," Shane said, arrogant once more (wasn't he always?).

"Fine. If I win…you have to walk around camp wearing nothing but a bikini. A lacy one.." I said.

"Fine. If I win, you have to admit in front of everyone that Shane Gray is a smarter, more talented, all around better person than you are."

I smirked. "Get your granny panties ready, Shane Gray, because you're going down!!" I inserted the hairpin in the lock, jiggled it around a bit, and…

**Haha, cliffy! Sorry it took so long to update, I'm taking 9****th**** grade Integrated Algebra this year and have been really busy!! (I'm in 8****th**** grade). Really sorry, I'll try to be quicker from now on!!**

**And Happy Birthday to Nick Jonas!! I hope your birthday is superfantabulous!!**

**Remember to review, everyone!! I luuuv reviews even more than mini muffins!! But not more than the Jonas Brothers !! **

**Reviewwww!! ******


	10. Lily's Secret

Recap

_Recap_

"_Fine. If I win…you have to walk around camp wearing nothing but a bikini. A lacy one.." I said._

_"Fine. If I win, you have to admit in front of everyone that Shane Gray is a smarter, more talented, all around better person than you are." _

_I smirked. "Get your granny panties ready, Shane Gray, because you're going down!!" I inserted the hairpin in the lock, jiggled it around a bit, and…_

I pulled on the doorknob. It didn't budge.

"Ha, you lose!" Shane taunted.

"I wasn't done, sea monkey," I snapped. I jiggled it around a bit more, and heard a click. I triumphantly pulled the door open and headed out.

"There's the perfect bikini for you online, nice and lacy and orange. I'd get you the blue one, but that's not really your color," I called over my shoulder, bursting with happiness inside at the look on Shane's face.

On my way down the path, I ran into Nate and Mitchie on their way back. They both had troubled looks on their faces.

"Hey, do you want to hear how I got us out?" I asked.

"Not important," Nate said quickly.

"Well if you don't care then…" I trailed off, hurt.

"No, Lily, forget about it. Your Uncle Charlie just called me."

"What happened?" I asked, instantly forgetting about Shane.

"Your parents want to talk to you and they're coming up to see you this Saturday."

"What?" I gasped. "No, that'll ruin everything!!"

"Just call them for now. And put it on speaker," he added as I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed the number. I hit the speaker button and Mom's voice soon filled the air.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mom, it's Lily," I said.

I guess Mom could hear the nervous tone in my voice, because when she spoke again, she sounded concerned. "What's the matter, sweetie?" she asked.

"Um…" My face pleaded for silent help from Nate and Mitchie. I was praying they'd get the message, and they must have, because Nate pointed at the sky and made rain motions with his hands. I got what he was saying.

"Um, it's supposed to rain today, and I'm worried there might be a big storm. You know I don't like storms ever since…" my voice trailed off, remembering just in time that Nate and Mitchie were there.

Luckily, my mom mistook my silence for sadness instead of caution.

"Right, well, hon, I'm gonna let you go now, okay? I've got a lot to do."

"Okay, Mom, love you," I said.

"Love you too," she said, and I hung up the phone and looked up into Mitchie and Nate's confused and worried faces.

"Since what, Lily?" Mitchie asked quietly.

"Um, nothing," I said, trying to keep back the tears that were threatening to fall. "Just something when I was little. It's not important." A lone tear escaped, and I silently cursed myself for not having better control.

Nate lifted his thumb and wiped it away. "What happened?" He asked gently, holding onto my arm.

"Nothing," I choked out, and wrenched out of his grasp. I ran down to the lake, ignoring the stares of other campers.

I sat on a log and cried. I knew sooner or later I was going to have to tell Nate and Mitchie, and possibly even Shane, but I wanted to hold off that moment for as long as possible.

"Lily?" I heard Nate approach cautiously. He sat on the log beside me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. I cried into his shirt for a while, and then we were silent.

"When I was little," I began with a glance up at Nate.

He looked back down at me. "You don't have to do this," he said softly.

"I know." I whispered, and continued a little louder. "When I was little," I repeated. "Around 5 or so, I used to live in Colorado with my mom, my dad, and my two older sisters, Rachel and Lynn."

"I remember," I said, thinking of my childhood. "I used to let Rachel and Lynn braid my hair. I had really long, strawberry blond hair. They loved it, and said it reminded them of silk. They used to play dress up and have tea parties with me. Whenever I would get sad," I said, smiling. "They used to let me sit with them in their room and they'd read me fairytales. I remember thinking that they were my favorite people in the world."

I took a break to get myself together again. Nate just held me and waited until I was ready.

"Then, when I was 6, my family found out I had childhood leukemia. The doctors said they could probably stop it, but told us to go to a clinic in Nebraska. Then, when we were on our way there, I was in the backseat with Rachel and Lynn, and my mom was in the front. It was raining really hard out, and I remember the road was really slippery and I was scared. But Rachel and Lynn played card games with me to keep my mind off the storm. And then," My voice was really high pitched, as it always was when I was upset. "We couldn't see because it was snowing so hard. I heard a big horn, and then my mom screamed, and then I just remember a big light, and something big hitting me."

"I woke up in the hospital a few weeks later. I found out that my mom had died instantly, and Rachel was in Intensive Care. Lynn was in the room with me, in a bed next to me, and when I started to cry…" my voice trembled. "She reached over with her broken arm and stroked my hair, telling me that it was going to be alright."  
"Rachel died the next day," I said. A few lone tears slipped down my face,and I silently cursed myself for letting it happen. "Lynn was with me while they treated the cancer. I remember my hair fell out, and Lynn held my hand during chemo. They wheeled her bed in so she could be with me. We were there for months, and finally, the cancer was gone. My hair started to grow back soon, except it started growing back red instead. I was so sad that I didn't have my strawberry blond hair anymore, but Lynn told me that it was okay, and that my new hair was just as beautiful."

"And then one day," I said, brushing my few tears away.. "Lynn wasn't feeling good. The doctors said she had an infection from surgery. They took her away…and they never brought her back."

I looked up at Nate, and was surprised to see tears running down his cheeks. "When I go home, I'm going home to a foster family. I live with my foster parents and 7 other kids."

Nate hugged me harder, and it felt like he would never let go. I hesitantly reached up to wipe the tears off his face. He let me, so I did.

"I'm sorry," he murmered. I pulled away, and he seemed surprised.

"Please," I pleaded. "Don't say 'I'm sorry'."

"Why not?" he asked.

"All anyone ever says is 'I'm sorry'. Nobody did anything to make it happen, so they have nothing to be sorry for. It was…my fault."

"No, it wasn't." Nate sounded stern now. "It wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was!" I protested, a few tears escaping again. Darn, and I was doing so well. "I was the one who got cancer!! It was my clinic we were driving to when it happened!"

Nate cupped my face in his hands and looked at me. "It was not your fault. You couldn't help anything. Got it?"

I sighed. "Yeah, I got it, I got it." Nate let go of me and we sat in silence again.

"Why aren't you crying?" Nate asked me. This question caught me off guard.

"What?" I asked. I wanted to be sure I heard him correctly.

"Why aren't you crying?" he repeated.

I thought, and finally came up with what I thought to be a reasonable answer. "Crying isn't going to bring them back."

Nate looked surprised. "Haven't you ever cried about it? Just a little bit?"

I shrugged. "Well, yeah, when it first happened, but whenever I would cry, people would feel sorry for me. I hate that. That's why I never tell anybody."

"You told me," Nate pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess so. So what?"

"That means it must be easier for you. You know, having people feel sorry for you." He explained.

"No, not really. It's just…well, I don't know why I told you," I realized. "But please, don't tell anyone. Not yet," I begged.

Nate held out his pinky. "Promise."  
I smiled a little as we shook pinkies, and then he helped me off the log and we walked along the lake's shore in silence.

"What about your dad?" he asked after a while. I froze up. I was dreading this question, though I knew he would ask it eventually.

"Um…he's dead," I blurted out, hating myself.

"Oh. I'm s…" Nate trailed off, and I smiled again.

"Good job. So," I said, changing the subject, "What are we going to do about my…parents?"

Nate looked confused, so I quickly corrected myself. "My foster parents."

We walked in silence again, each of us thinking. Suddenly, Nate came to a stop, and I crashed into his outstretched arm.

"Hey, what's that about?" I asked, rubbing my arm. Dang, that boy had hard muscles.

"I have an idea," he said, grinning.

**Sorry if you thought it was too sad or mushy or dramatic or something. It was necessary for the story, so sorry if you didn't like it!!**

**Make me happy: Review!!**


	11. Nate Has A Plan!

"So, here's the plan," Nate said to us. We, being Shane, Jason, Mitchie, Caitlyn (Mitchie's friend, who we had met up with in the past week), Emily, Nate, and I, were meeting in Mitchie, Emily, and my cabin. Shane was sitting back in the desk chair, while Jason was cross-legged on the floor. Emily and I were sprawled across my bed, and Caitlyn and Mitchie were on the latter's. Nate, however, was sitting in front of us all on Emily's beanbag chair, addressing us all. He was clearly getting frustrated. Emily and I were flipping through a fashion magazine, Jason was looking for birds out the window (of course) and Shane was-

"You're reading my email?" I shrieked, coming up behind Shane.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Oh, but your friend Morgan owes me 5 bucks." Shane smirked. Looking closer, I saw an AIM window open.

"You were IMMING MY FRIENDS??" I screeched. Sure enough, scrolling up, Morgan had lost a bet with Shane.

"Move!" I commanded, pushing the chair out of the way.

"Hey!" Shane protested as he flew across the floor and hit Mitchie's CD shelf. All the CD's crashed down around him, and Mitchie looked up from her cellphone, which she was using to send a text message to her friend, Sierra.

"You're reorganizing those," she said, and then went back to her text.

"Shane!" I shouted again. "You bet on WHETHER I HAVE A POLKA-DOTTED BRA OR NOT??" I was STEAMED.

"Well, yeah." He said in a calm tone, as though it were perfectly reasonable for him to bet with his brother's girlfriend's best friend on whether I wore a polka-dotted bra.

"You JERK!!" I grabbed a pillow and started beating him over the head.

"Ow, hey, what the hell?"

"Lily, Lily!" Nate pulled me off Shane, grabbing my pillow away. "Calm down!"

"I will NOT calm down!! Let go of me!" I shouted, still hitting every inch of Shane I could reach. Nate sighed and rolled his eyes at Mitchie and Caitlyn, cast an apologetic glance toward Shane and Jason, and kissed me.

I dropped the pillow and wrapped my arms around his neck. My foot must've popped off the ground, because when we pulled away, it was in the air.

Mitchie, Emily, and Caitlyn giggled and exchanged looks. I shot them a murderous glance, and Mitchie just shrugged, smiling.

"Are you calmed down now?" Nate asked me.

I grinned. "Not yet."

He smiled. "Let me see if I can fix that." He leaned down to me again, and I met his lips in the air, once again wrapping my arms around his neck.

We must've stayed that way for a while, because eventually, Shane started tapping his foot.

Nate took the hint, I guess, because he started to pull away. I stretched up on my tiptoes for a quick second to make it last longer, and Caitlyn snorted.

"Do you mind?" I asked indignantly.

"No, not really," she said. I picked up my pillow and threw it at her.

I guess Shane must have gotten impatient, because one minute he was silent, the next, he was yelling at us all.

"Hey! Weren't we supposed to be listening to Nate's plan?" he roared.

"Aww, I think Pretty Boy over here is upset not to be the center of attention. How cute," I said sarcastically, reaching over to pinch his cheeks. He bit my hand.

"You…!" I started at him again, but this time, everyone was prepared. Nate dragged me away, and sat me next to Emily.

"Here," he said, throwing the fashion magazine in my lap. "Find a cute pair of shoes or something."

I looked closely at his face. "You're making fun of me. Shoes are nothing to joke about, Nate," I said seriously.

He slapped his forehead. "Moving on. Anyway, here's the plan…" Nate continued to talk, but I, of course, wasn't listening; I had a pair of shoes to find.

"Lily! Lily!" A pair of fingers snapped in front of my face.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Were you listening?" Nate sighed.

"Um…yeah! Absolutely!" I tried my best to sound convincing.

Nate narrowed his eyes.

"No," I admitted reluctantly.

"Nate, nobody's listening!" Mitchie pointed out.

It was true. Shane was snoring lightly, his head falling backwards onto the chair. I was looking through my fashion magazine. Emily was reading a book. And Mitchie and Caitlyn were looking something up on the Internet. Jason was just…well, being Jason. He was bird-watching, of course.

"Mitchie, Caitlyn, what are you looking at anyway?" I asked curiously, dropping my magazine. Mitchie beckoned me over with a finger. I ran over and peered over Caitlyn's shoulder.

"Male swimsuit models!" I cried out in surprise. Shane woke up straight away.

"What did you say?" he asked, coming over. He saw the model on the screen.

"Mitchie! How could you betray me like that?" he asked, only half-joking.

She shrugged. "They have really nice abs."

I glanced over at Nate. "Ooh, you're right! Look at that one!! Ooh…"

Nate jumped up from the stool he was sitting on. "Okay, enough taunting the boyfriends! Let's talk about this down by the lake!"

And then, laughing, we all ran outside, down to the lake, where we could figure out how to fool my parents into thinking I was at Uncle Charlie's.


	12. Escape

"Are you ready?" Nate whispered to me.

I nodded once.

It was nighttime, and it was time to go to Uncle Charlie's. Nate had snuck into my cabin with the help of Emily, Mitchie, and Caitlyn. We were going to sneak out together to Uncle Charlie's.

Nate hopped onto the windowsill, and jumped onto the ground, disappearing from sight. A few seconds later, his head and hands appeared, and I jumped out, holding on tightly.

I slung my bag over my shoulder, and followed Nate across the dark, quiet camp.

At the camp entrance, the limo was waiting

Nate and I sat in the back together, and fell back asleep.

When I woke up, my neck was stiff, and the sun was out. I lifted my head off Nate's shoulder and stretched my neck. I saw he was already awake.

"You could've moved me," I told him.

"I didn't want to wake you. You look so cute when you sleep," he said.

I pulled out my bag I had thrown aside last night. Inside was some food for Nate and I, and some spare clothes and things.

"Are you hungry?" I asked him.

He nodded. "Starving."

I pulled out a small paper bag. "Here. Have a doughnut."

"Ooh, jelly filled pastry. It must be my lucky day," he joked, then leaned over to kiss me.

"And it must be mine."

Nate smiled.

"I have chocolate frosting," I continued.

Nate frowned, and I laughed, causing him to look even more confused.

"I'm kidding," I said, kissing him.

He was quiet. "Ohhhh, I get it. Haha, so funny."

We laughed the rest of the time we ate our doughnuts, and then we decided to call Shane.

I dialed my phone, and while it was ringing, Nate kept tickling me.

"Stop…no, Nate, stop it." A giggle. "No, I'm serious. You can't kiss me and expect me to just-oh, hey Shane."

"Agent Twinkle Toes, this is Agent Hot Stuff, over," He whispered.

I snorted. "Agent Twinkle Toes? Hey wait…who told you I was a dancer?"

"Nate."

I mouthed, "You. Are. Dead." over to my boyfriend, and he shrugged, grinning apologetically.

"Well, Agent Full Of Himself"- I began.

"Agent Hot Stuff. Mitchie thinks so!" He argued.

"I do not!" came Mitchie's voice.

"What??" Shane sounded hurt.

"Alright, alright, agent Hot Stuff," I sighed. "We're heading over to Uncle Charlie's. We'll be there soon"- I looked over at Nate. "Okay, sooner than we thought, hopefully, because Nate has to pee."

"Thanks," Nate crossed his arms.

I giggled. "Alright, Shane, we'll call you when we get there. Bye. No, I won't-fine. Agent Hot Stuff, this is Agent Twinkle Toes, over."

I glared at Nate. "Did I mention your brother annoys the shit out of me?"

"You may have mentioned it once or twice. " He said. "But I have to pee. Don't distract me."

We stopped for Nate to pee, then continued onto Uncle Charlie's. We arrived two hours earlier than my parents were due to arrive, so we headed upstairs with our stuff (we were staying for the weekend). Nate had the bedroom across from mine, so he went to his room, and I went to mine.

As I set up the pictures I had brought (mostly my family and friends), I felt a set of arms grab my waist.

"Lily, we're staying the weekend, not moving," he reminded me.

"It has to look like I live here, so…" I glanced towards the neatly made bed. "Nate, go jump on the bed."

"What?" he asked, surprised.

"You heard me. It has to look lived in. Jump on it."

So he did, bouncing up and down like a small child would. He was still bouncing when Uncle Charlie came upstairs.

"Lily…what is your friend doing?" he asked me.

Nate quickly jumped down, his face and ears bright red. "Um, I was…making it look lived in. Sir," he added.

Uncle Charlie was fine with that. He helped us, throwing things this way and that, making the room look as though I had been here for a couple weeks instead of a couple hours.

"Lily, do your parents"- He glanced at Nate. –"know about you two?"

"First, Charlie, Nate knows about everything. Well, he knows about my 'parents' and the accident and all that great, tear-jerking stuff."

"But not about us. As far as they know, Lily's been living here, doing hard, exhausting, yet rewarding, farm work that is mostly underappreciated by all of us city folk."

Uncle Charlie blinked. Then he pointed at Nate and said, "I like this one."

Nate blushed. "Um, thank you." He said it like a question.

I grinned. "Thanks, Uncle Charlie. When are they going to be here?"

"They should be here in about…" There was the sound of a motor outside. "Now," He said

"Let's go!" I raced down the stairs just as the door opened.

"Lily!" My foster father's voice boomed through Uncle Charlie's farm house.

"Daddy!" I cried, leaping into his arms. "Hiiiiiiiiii!!" I shrieked.

My mom pointed at Nate. "Who is this?"

**Sorry for such a short chapter!  
If I had put everything into this chapter, it would've been way too long.**

**So, next chapter, I'm gonna use the brilliant idea given to me (and a little bit of one I had) !!!**

**Yayyyy!!!**


	13. Oops

"_Who is this?"_

My father's question rang in my ears. Who is this?

"This is…this is…" I fumbled around for an answer.

"This is my help," Uncle Charlie interrupted. "Nate here works here this summer, learning how to run a farm."

I nodded, showing I agreed. Thank you, Uncle Charlie! "That's right!" Nate caught on. "I've learned a lot!"

"So, now you've all met, Nate and I are going to go…somewhere else. Bye!"

I dragged Nate by his arm outside and down the long path to the barn.

"Where are we going?" he asked as I pulled him along.

"You'll see," I said, grinning.

In time, we reached our destination: the large oak tree on the side of the barn.

I let go of Nate and climbed up the oak tree so fast he had no idea where I had gone.

"Lily? Where are you?" he asked.

I hooked my legs over a branch, making sure my knees were gripping it tightly. Then I slowly let go of the branch and fell backwards, still holding the branch with my knees.

"Peek-a-boo!" I shouted in Nate's ear. He jumped, looking around wildly for me.

"Up here, silly," I said, tapping the top of his head. He glanced up.

"Oh, hi."

"Hey, buddy. How's it going?" I asked.

"This is weird," he told me, still staring up.

"Yeah," I agreed. "Catch me!" I let go of the branch and twisted in midair so I was right side up when Nate caught me.

"Show off," he taunted.

I playfully slugged his shoulder. He caught my hand and held onto it.

"Can you climb a tree?" I asked him as we circled the base of the wide oak.

"Kinda." he said, staring at the ground.

I raised one eyebrow skeptically and put my hands on my hips. He looked up.

"Okay, no."

I feigned shock. "Nate Grey can't climb a tree? International pop sensation can't climb a simple oak tree?"

"That thing is not simple!" he defended. "It's like, a thousand feet tall."

"No it's not. It's only thirty feet tall," I corrected.

"Oh, so now you have the super ability to tell how tall something is just by looking at it?"

I snorted. "No. My cousins and I were bored once and we decided to measure it."

"When was this? It might have grown." Boy, Nate was really stretching. Trying to prove his superior intelligence or something, probably.

"It was two summers ago. It didn't grow, Nate. Oh well." I shrugged. "I guess guys just can't stand to be wrong."

"You little"- Nate picked me up off the ground.

"No! No! Nate, put me down!" I screeched, beating his back with my fists.

"Nope," he refused.

"Dammit, Nate Grey, you put me down right now, or…or…I'll tell Shane you threw his hair conditioner in the lake!"

Nate stopped tickling me and spinning around. "That wasn't me."

"That's because it was me," I told him. "But if you don't put me down RIGHT NOW, I'll tell him it was you."

Nate quickly put me down.

"_Thank _you," I said, picking at some leaves in my hair. I felt Nate's large fingers on top of mine, picking the leaves out for me.

When my hair was tangled but clean, and ragged leaves surrounded us, Nate's fingers were still on top of mine.

"The leaves are all out of my hair now, you know," I reminded him.

"I know," he whispered, his warm breath tickling my ear.

Still holding my fingers, he spun me around and caught me in his arms.

"Ta-da!" I joked.

He didn't laugh, but instead pressed his lips feverishly to mine. My lips curved upward and I melted into his hold. My hands, slick with sweat, tangled in his dark, curly brown hair that smelled strongly of cookies and vanilla.

"Geez, Nate, way to overdo it. Not that I mind," I added quickly.

"Do you remember what you said the first time I kissed you?" he asked.

"I said…I…" I was honestly trying to remember, but with Nate kissing up and down my neck, I was kind of distracted.

"What did you say?" he murmured against my skin.

"Who cares? What I'm saying now is 'Hell with it, just kiss me again!'" I said, locking my arms back around his neck, and vehemently crashed my lips against his.

I traced the tip of my tongue around his bottom lip, and he moaned a little in his throat. This could work for me.

"Nate?" It was…Jason.

Nate sighed, obviously irritated, and turned to his brother. "Kind of busy here, bro," he said, gesturing to me.

Jason looked offended. "I was just going to let you know that I would be back tomorrow night to get you. I was leaving now. Don't you want to say goodbye?"

Nate and I both were irritated now. "Goodbye," we said in unison and turned back to each other.

Jason made a strange, exasperated noise in his throat, and turned away, walking back to where he had parked his car.

Nate and I were just getting busy again when I heard footsteps behind us.

I sighed, frustrated. "_What, _Jason? _What _could you _possibly _need right now?" But when I turned around, it wasn't Jason behind us. It was my mother, grasping pictures in her fists so hard her knuckles turned white. The pictures from Camp Rock I had on my bed, I now realized. And it was her with the pictures-from a forbidden place-who had caught me passionately making out with my boyfriend under a tree.

There was only one word appropriate for this moment in time, and it was the only one I thought to use.

"Oops."

**Ahh, our good friends have been caught! Cliffyy!**

**Sorry for not updating sooner. I had the whole chapter written, but my computer did something weird and sort of crashed (it works now) so I lost the whole chapter. And we had this huge ice storm yesterday/today. How huge? Let's put it this way: I walked off the bus yesterday (SNOW DAY TODAY! YAYY! Wow. Never thought I'd say that. I hate snow. And ice. And other cold, wet weather.) and I fell and my hand was bleeding and there was this gross hole in it (my hand) and I was like EWWW. It's kinda better now though. It's small and no more blood!So I decided to update today!**

**So, there are my pitiful excuses. I'm SOOO SORRYYY!!!!!**

**But show me mercy and review! PLEASE! MERCY, I BEG OF YOU!!!!**

**Oh, one more thing: You may notice the chapter number is kinda lower. Okay, much lower. I deleted my authors notes. They weren't relevant anymore, and I had a review from…um, someone, I don't remember who, sorry, who told me I should delete them, in a way. So I did, don't be confused.**

**Ideas are welcome! I have a vague idea of what's going to happen, but afterwards…not much. So, suggestions pleeeasee!**

**A HUUUUGGGEEE thanks to AlyssaGothicWerewolfFan for this chapter idea!**

**It was her idea to have Nate and Lily under the tree and have the mom find out and stuff, so THANK YOUUU!! If it weren't for her, I'd be like…ummm…what do I do now?**

**So, THANK YOUUUUUUU X1000000000000000000000!**


	14. Mom and Mom

**Sorry for the long wait, guys. I had MAJOR writers block, this is a pretty hard story for me, for some weird reason.**

**DON'T HATE ME!!!**

**Okay, well, this is what I came up with, if you have any ideas, please let me know! I'm having trouble figuring out where to go with this story!**

**Also, let me know when you think it should end, or anything I should change. Constructive criticism is welcome!**

Lily POV

I stared at Mom. Mom stared at me. Nate stared at both of us.

I wanted to do something, anything to break the awkward silence.

"Erm…hullo. How're you this fine, fine…" A glare from Mom silenced my voice into a whisper.

"Okay, look, Mom, I-"

She held up one finger to silence me. Then, she held out her fist with the picture.

I supposed that meant she wanted me to take it. However, when I tried to tug it out of her fist, she wouldn't let go.

"Umm…yeah, I'm just gonna, you know, leave now…" I backed away, grabbing Nate's arm and pulled him with me as I went.

"Stop!"

My foster mom may have been a tiny woman, but at that moment, nothing was scarier to me than her five foot tall frame. Well, except Shane after I threw his hair products in the lake.

"Mom, listen," I pleaded.

"Lillian," she growled, using my full name, something she only did when she was angry with me. "Start explaining. Now."

"What do I do?" I whispered to Nate, who was still frozen behind me.

"You heard her. Start explaining."

"Well, see, Mom, this is Nate…Grey," I finished with a sigh, looking back at Nate while hoping my apology was clear in my eyes.

"Nate Grey?" she said in disbelief. "From that boy band you're always listening to?"

I blushed. "Yeah," I said.

"So, Lillian, please, amuse me with the tale of how Nate Grey and this blessed miracle of you two meeting happened."

"Okay," I sighed again. It was quiet as I tried to think of where to begin.

"Well?" Okay, Mom was really angry.

"I don't know where to start," I admitted sheepishly.

"Start with when you two met," she told me, crossing her arms so tightly over her chest that I almost doubted whether or not they would ever unfurl themselves.

"I met Nate at the park by the house. Remember when you first told me I couldn't go to Camp Rock?"

Mom was still silent, and she didn't nod, but I assumed that she knew what I was talking about, so I went on.

"Well, I was upset, and you know, whenever I'm upset that's the first place I go. So I was sitting on the swings, and Nate came over and sat near me. We just started talking and…you know…"

"No. I don't know. So why don't you continue to tell me? What's been going on the entire summer. You went away in the middle of July, and here it is, the beginning of August, and I suddenly find you, this boy I've never met before, and these strange pictures. What happened to you?"

"What do you mean, 'what happened?' There's nothing wrong with me!"

"Well, the Lily I knew wouldn't ask her uncle to lie to her parents for her so she could run off to some music camp with a boy she hardly knows!"

"What are you talking?" I asked, stung. "First of all, it's not some music camp! Camp Rock is probably the greatest music camp in the entire country! On the entire continent! And how do you know I don't know Nate? I know Nate very well!"

"Middle name?"

"Michael." "Favorite color?"

"Green."

"Favorite sport?"

"Baseball."

"Favorite thing to do?"

"Play his guitar, perform, annoy Shane, and write music."

Mom was silent. I smirked, celebrating my easy victory. Or so I thought.

"Lillian, just because you can name a bunch of random facts about someone, that in no way means that you know them!"

The grin slid off my face. "Well, maybe you don't know me!" Once I got started, I couldn't stop. The horrible, insulting words kept coming. "I doubt that you could even say everything about me that I just said about Nate! You barely know me! I've lived with you for what, six years? You aren't even my mom! The only person who really knew me was my mom! And she's gone! In case you haven't noticed, I'm pretty much alone! You have absolutely no idea how much stress that is on my! I'm _thirteen freaking years old._ I've been in a near fatal accident that took my mom and my sister. I survived cancer. My father abused me for four years of my life! And I'm completely alone! At thirteen! If my life sucks that much now, how much worse is it going to be when I'm twenty? Or thirty? Or even forty? When things suck, there's usually a very good chance they're going to get worse."

When I finished, I was in shock. _I _didn't even know I could be that nasty, and, judging from the looks on Nate and Mom's faces, they didn't either.

Oh, not like I didn't regret all that the moment it all came out of my stupid, dumb, big mouth. I did. I wished I could take it all back, take everything back; my father, my parents dying, my sisters dying, the whole accident, I'd even take back being born if I could.

I turned to run, but a hand clamped down hard on my wrist, keeping me here. I whipped around to see Mom glaring at me, fire in her hurt eyes. There was so much hurt there I couldn't stand looking anymore, and so stared down at my feet, tears dripping down my face. If Lynn and Rachel were here, they'd be so upset with me. And Mom, my real mom. She wouldn't want me to talk to anyone that way. I could almost hear what she would say: "Lillian, this kind woman took you in for seven years of your life when I had to leave you, and this is the thanks she gets? I raised you better than that. Look into her eyes, Lily. Do you see how much you hurt her?" My real mom would have tears and hurt brimming in her eyes for my foster mom.

I sighed. She would be right. I slumped a little, making it easier for Mom (my foster mom) to tow me back to Charlie's house. I avoided looking back at Nate, but I knew he was following us because I could hear the sound of his footsteps behind us.

I had no idea what my foster father would say, or Charlie.

All I knew was that it was goodbye Camp Rock. Goodbye Nate. Goodbye all new friends. And goodbye any chance of having a somewhat decent summer spent outdoors instead of in a cramped house with nine other people.

**Ahh, I hate myself for being so mean! I hated myself the whole time I was making Lily go off on her foster mother!Ooh, and what's this? A new piece of information about her father?**

**Stay tuned for more!**

**So, what do you think? Should Lily be forced to leave Camp Rock and Nate? Should she be allowed to stay?**

**Tell me! I'll go either way, but I need YOU guys to help me decide!**

**Oh, I'm also thinking about doing a sequel (or a few).**

**Tell me what you think about that also!**

**I need ideas! I'll even give you credit if you help out!!Pleeeeaseee!!!**

**Review, please, I'm desperate!**


	15. REALLY SORRY

**Hey guys,**

**I'm really, really, REALLY sorry to have to do this, but I feel I have no other option.**

**I have SO much going on. Here's just a smidge of it:-School musical. I have rehersal every day of the week just about, the show's next week, and we're NO where NEAR ready. Our director is just about tearing his hair out, and I feel like I owe it to him, to our musical director, and to the rest of the cast to give it my all and try not to worry about so much.**

**-Exams! It is now March, and right on time, I'm freaking out. Just a couple of the exams I have to take: Spanish Proficiency, English Final, Math Regents, Science State Test, Science Final, Social Studies Final, etc. I have A LOT going on. And it's high school next year! So my school has been going CRAZY! The guidance counselors are EVERYWHERE! We had our whole electives assembly, and our "Welcome To High School" thing in English class, and I think I REALLY need to focus on passing the 8th**** grade (not only passing, but passing with flying colors. I REALLY need to get over a 95 on all my exams and final grades and everything).**

**-My sister will be coming to see my family soon with her husband, so we're trying to work things out with her (we haven't gotten along so well in the past) so I'm trying to get things ready and such.**

**-My room is a complete mess and I think my mom's about to ground me till Kingdom Come if I don't clean it. So I probably should…(I know, lame excuse, sorry!)**

**-Our house is being redone. We're repainting the bathroom and my parents room and eventually mine and my sister's, and probably the downstairs too, and I know my family is going to need help with that.**

**-This summer, I might try to get a job (the city's got some sort of program, I think, or I think Price Chopper is hiring. Lol) so if I have to work, there's NO way I can keep up with all this.**

**So I'm REALLY sorry, but I think I'm going to have to quit fan fiction. I feel really bad for deserting you all, but I don't have enough time, and I don't think it's fair to make you all wait if I know I really don't have time.**

**But thanks to ALL the reviewers and everyone who read and supported my stories. I feel REALLY bad about this.**

**And mucho apologies to Alyssa4Music4Life, my new co-author on "Summer Of Secrets". I feel really bad about all of this.**

**I don't know how to actually delete the account, and get my email and everything off the site, so someone review and tell me how PLEASE!**

**Again, I'm really sorry, I can't even express how sorry I am.**

**For the last time,**

**SunnySkies4Life**


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